Abstract
In this article the compliance- and values-based approaches to ethical management are explained and the challenges of the contemporary business and societal contexts in South Africa noted. The need for both moral integrity and character (with respect to perception, intention and virtue) and ethical consensus is extensively discussed. The importance of ethical dialogue as a means of reaching moral consensus, and the contribution of public theology (particularly Christian theology) are assessed. Finally, vital issues relating to business ethics management and education are outlined and some practical possibilities suggested.
Highlights
Ethical management: compliance and valuesIn the field of moral philosophy, a distinction is sometimes made between ethics as intellectual reflection on conduct, and morality as actual conduct
In hierdie artikel word voldoening- en waardegebaseerde benaderings tot etiese bestuur verduidelik en die uitdagings van die huidige sake- en sosiale kontekste in Suid-Afrika uitgewys
A few weeks later, in the business report section of the Sunday Independent (2002:4), it was stated that the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) was addressed by the Minister of Finance, Mr Trevor Manuel: Manuel said that the Enron debacle had brought into sharp relief a number of key issues: Weak or non-existent governance structures; the fiduciary responsibility of directors; negligent and sometimes reckless management; ineffective auditing; and the independence of auditors and conflicts of interest arising from the inadequate separation between the provision of auditing and consultancy services
Summary
In the field of moral philosophy, a distinction is sometimes made between ethics as intellectual reflection on conduct, and morality as actual conduct This means that employees are unable to explain or implement such codes since they neither accept nor own them This raises the issue of the importance of ethical awareness, ethical education and building moral consensus in order to achieve the successful use of compliance-based programmes. The real ingredients of success were found to be as follows: leadership; consistency between words and actions; fairness; openness; just rewards; and values-driven approaches (Moon & Bonny, 2001:29) These findings highlight the importance of ethical management by example. What is needed to restore South African society is an understanding of ethical management which incorporates three elements: ethical enforcement (compliance), ethical direction and inspiration (values) and inner compulsion (integrity of character) These three elements can provide a means to further both the individual and common (social) good. Before concentrating on this third aspect, that is, integrity, some comments regarding the context of business in South Africa are necessary
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